I was happy to leave Cario. While it has so much history and many sites to see, the city is very polluted and several in our group developed persistant coughs and irritations. The heavy, humid air keeps the pollution around, but it does provide for spectacular sunsets.
I had no time to setup for this shot and I snapped this out of the bus window and was pleasantly surprised by the results.
We left Cario on a bus headed toward the Reed Sea area (not the Red Sea as we were a bit to the north) to cross under the Suez Canal. I have no pictures of the Canal and the authorities try to prevent easy access to the area by making large berms to restrict the view and keep it secure. Sorry - but nothing to look at, although the guide did say the view of a large container ship passing across the desert floor looks a bit out of place, but none were seen as we drove.
We stopped at two oases where Moses brought the Israelites along the way to Mt. Sinai. The first stop was Marah where the water was bitter, but became sweet when Moses threw a stick into the water. I did not think it was wise to sample the water so I do not know if it was still sweet or not, but it looked a bit muddy to me. I don't think my immune system could handle this one, so I passed.
At this stop, I became a bit more aware of potential dangers. Throughout our time in Egypt, the travel agency provided armed guards to accompany us everywhere. Once we left Cario, I felt a bit relieved to be away from so many people, but our guard stayed alert. At Marah, our group out numbered the locals trying to sell items, but it seemed strange to see a 60 plus year old man dressed in a ragged "Tourist Police" uniform (gold stripes on the shoulders) chasing down a young boy that was probably 10-12 years old. Apparently the kid had done something to provoke the "policeman" and when he finally caught him, he was berating this kid and slapping him across the face. This was upsetting to see, but then I noticed our guard pull his sports coat to the side and place his hand on his revolver. His next reaction seemed strange as then he looked everywhere but at the policeman and the hysterics happening right in front of him. I suspect he was thinking this could be a diversion to something a bit more sinister. He did not intervene in the local dispute, but I learned that he did not trust anyone.
The second oasis was Elim where the Bible noted there were 12 springs and 70 palm trees. We were the only ones around and spent some time wandering the area and climbing to get better views of the colorful mountains. This was a welcome break from the drive.
After traveling through the Desert of Sin, we stopped at a Bedouin camp to have some tea mixed with local herbs. I had several cups and the mixture was very soothing so I decided to buy a bag of this herb, which only takes a very small pinch to provide an over-powering aroma to the tea.
After the negotiation process, they gave me a clear plastic bag with chopped up leafy green particles. When I went through US Customs, I felt like a smuggler trying to bring in some illicit drug. There was no identifying label, but the baggy made it through every check point along the way.
While we were there, the Bedouin let us handle the farm animals. When we came back to the US, does this mean I need to claim I was around livestock?
The Bedouin's camp (or village) is situated close to the valley of Rephidim where Joshua fought the Amalekites and where Moses watched the battle in the valley below. As told in Exodus, when Moses raised his arms to God, the Israelites were winning the battle and when he let his arms go down, they started losing. To help Moses, his brother Aaron and another named Hur held his arms up when he could no longer do it on his own. I always envisioned a large mountain with Moses looking far off into the distance to see a battle on some plains. After driving through this valley, it was much easier now to see Moses looking down several hundred feet into a very tight gap in the mountains which seemed only wide enough for a highway road.
After this, we were on our way to Mount Sinai and arrived at the camp just at twilight, but not in time to see the mountain we were to climb later that night at 2:30am.
Next blog: Mt. Sinai at dawn.
We left Cario on a bus headed toward the Reed Sea area (not the Red Sea as we were a bit to the north) to cross under the Suez Canal. I have no pictures of the Canal and the authorities try to prevent easy access to the area by making large berms to restrict the view and keep it secure. Sorry - but nothing to look at, although the guide did say the view of a large container ship passing across the desert floor looks a bit out of place, but none were seen as we drove.
We stopped at two oases where Moses brought the Israelites along the way to Mt. Sinai. The first stop was Marah where the water was bitter, but became sweet when Moses threw a stick into the water. I did not think it was wise to sample the water so I do not know if it was still sweet or not, but it looked a bit muddy to me. I don't think my immune system could handle this one, so I passed.At this stop, I became a bit more aware of potential dangers. Throughout our time in Egypt, the travel agency provided armed guards to accompany us everywhere. Once we left Cario, I felt a bit relieved to be away from so many people, but our guard stayed alert. At Marah, our group out numbered the locals trying to sell items, but it seemed strange to see a 60 plus year old man dressed in a ragged "Tourist Police" uniform (gold stripes on the shoulders) chasing down a young boy that was probably 10-12 years old. Apparently the kid had done something to provoke the "policeman" and when he finally caught him, he was berating this kid and slapping him across the face. This was upsetting to see, but then I noticed our guard pull his sports coat to the side and place his hand on his revolver. His next reaction seemed strange as then he looked everywhere but at the policeman and the hysterics happening right in front of him. I suspect he was thinking this could be a diversion to something a bit more sinister. He did not intervene in the local dispute, but I learned that he did not trust anyone.
After traveling through the Desert of Sin, we stopped at a Bedouin camp to have some tea mixed with local herbs. I had several cups and the mixture was very soothing so I decided to buy a bag of this herb, which only takes a very small pinch to provide an over-powering aroma to the tea. 
After the negotiation process, they gave me a clear plastic bag with chopped up leafy green particles. When I went through US Customs, I felt like a smuggler trying to bring in some illicit drug. There was no identifying label, but the baggy made it through every check point along the way.
While we were there, the Bedouin let us handle the farm animals. When we came back to the US, does this mean I need to claim I was around livestock?
The Bedouin's camp (or village) is situated close to the valley of Rephidim where Joshua fought the Amalekites and where Moses watched the battle in the valley below. As told in Exodus, when Moses raised his arms to God, the Israelites were winning the battle and when he let his arms go down, they started losing. To help Moses, his brother Aaron and another named Hur held his arms up when he could no longer do it on his own. I always envisioned a large mountain with Moses looking far off into the distance to see a battle on some plains. After driving through this valley, it was much easier now to see Moses looking down several hundred feet into a very tight gap in the mountains which seemed only wide enough for a highway road.
After this, we were on our way to Mount Sinai and arrived at the camp just at twilight, but not in time to see the mountain we were to climb later that night at 2:30am.
Next blog: Mt. Sinai at dawn.
